


because you deserve it

by funkyspacegirlfriend



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-22 16:27:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22718887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/funkyspacegirlfriend/pseuds/funkyspacegirlfriend
Summary: Peter enlists Steve's help to come up with the perfect Valentine's Day gift for Tony
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Peter Parker/Tony Stark
Comments: 8
Kudos: 58
Collections: Marvel(ous)Universe, Starker Hugs & Kisses 2020





	because you deserve it

**Author's Note:**

> This is my submission for the Starker Valentine's Day gift exchange
> 
> The prompt from starkeristheendgame was: Peter asks Steve or all of the Avengers to help him find the perfect gift for Tony. Super fluffy and/or super cracky.

Steve took off his sunglasses and tucked them into the collar of his shirt as he stepped into the coffee shop. He had never been to this particular place before, preferring to stick to spots closer to the tower, or even just the expensive machine on his own floor that Tony had bought for each of them. But Peter had sent him a text this morning, asking if Steve could meet him for coffee in between his classes at NYU, needing to talk to him about something that couldn’t be discussed at the tower. The need for secrecy had Steve a little concerned, but assumed that if it was something really serious, Peter would have expressed more urgency.

He spotted the kid in a back corner booth pretty easily, textbooks spread out on the table in front of him. Steve stopped at the counter to order a coffee for himself and refill for Peter before making his way over to the younger Avenger, smiling when the brunette spotted him before he could reach the table and waved. When Steve handed over the steaming mug, he couldn’t help but laugh at the happy sound Peter made as he snagged it from the older man’s hand. “Oh god,  _ thank you _ . You’re my hero.” That made Steve snort. “All in a day’s work.”

Peter laughed, then gestured at the empty seat across from him. “Sit down. Thanks for coming out this way. I know it’s kind of a trek from your usual sphere of influence.” Steve shrugged, not really feeling guilty at Peter calling him out. After everything they had gone through, losing each other and fixing the world and just trying to survive in the aftermath, Steve wasn’t ashamed that he and the others who lived at the tower liked to stick close to each other. There were still times, even several years later, that one or more of them would wake up with nightmares about being the only one left.

Steve started in on his coffee as he watched Peter carefully put away his notes and set his books off to the side. Then the younger man folded his hands on the table and met Steve’s eyes. “So.. I need your help.” The blonde nodded, taking another sip of his drink before setting it aside. “Figured that was why you called me out here. And I assume it has something to do with Tony, since we’re so far from home?”

Peter nodding, scrubbing a hand over his face. Steve suddenly had the feeling that the stress he had spotted on Peter’s face when he walked in had nothing to do with whatever class he had been studying for, and everything to do with whatever he was about to ask. “It’s our first Valentine’s Day, as a couple. And I want to do something special, because Tony deserves it. And buying him something just seems like.. not enough, you know?” Steve nodded, and gestured for Peter to continue. “I know I could have gone to Rhodey, or Miss Potts, or probably even Happy but.. I trust your opinion the most.”

That made something warm and fond bloom in Steve’s chest, and he reached across the table to ruffle Peter’s hair, making the kid groan while trying to hide his smile. Steve sat back, crossing his arms over his chest. “Tony’s smart and also a giant kid most days, and he loves puzzles. I’m always finding him and Buck stashed around the tower somewhere working on these crazy brain teasers.” Across from him, Peter perked up, eyes widening like he had thought of an idea.

  
“What about a scavenger hunt?”

Steve nodded, tapping a finger against his chin as the wheels in his brain started turning. “That’s good, I think he’d love that. And what if.. what if we got everybody involved? Tony spends so much time hiding inside, he could use a few small adventures with each of us. To remind him how important he is to everybody.” They both knew how self conscious Tony still was about the scarring on his face and neck, and the metal arm that was a gold and red twin to Bucky’s.

Peter’s excited grin softened into something fond and warm. “That’s a really awesome idea, Steve. I knew coming to you was the right way to go!” The blonde laughed, and the two Avengers spent the rest of the afternoon brainstorming ideas and coming up with fun, silly clues for each person to give Tony after their “date.” Each clue would lead him to his next date, a different one each day that would end in a cozy, private dinner with Peter on Valentine’s Day. And Peter was sure it would take very little convincing to get the other Avengers involved.

The Saturday before Valentine’s Day, Peter put his plan into action. He snuck out of bed before Tony, not that that’s really all that hard, and made him breakfast. Then he carried it into their bedroom on a tray, setting it gently on Tony’s bedside table before leaning over to press a kiss to the older man’s forehead. One dark brown eye glassy from sleep blinked up at him, and Peter grinned at the way Tony’s nose scrunched up in confusion. “Pete.. it’s  _ Saturday _ . Why am I awake before noon?”

Peter chuckled, and prodded Tony until he was sitting up in the bed so he could place the tray over his lap. “ _ Because _ I made you breakfast. With two cups of coffee. So be nice.” The promise of food and extra coffee worked like a charm, and it only took a couple sips from one of the mugs for Tony to notice the envelope tucked under the plate of food.

“Hey Pete, what’s this?”

Peter shrugged, and stole a piece of bacon off of the plate. “Guess you better open it and find out.” He could see the suspicious look Tony gave him out of the corner of his eye, and pretended to scroll through his phone so it didn’t seem like he was holding his breath for Tony’s reaction. After a few minutes, he couldn’t take the silence anymore and looked up. It looked like Tony was rereading the card inside, and relief flashed through him when he noticed the small smile on the older man’s lips. A smile that got bigger when he noticed Peter staring. “You gonna explain this to me, kid?”

The younger man rolled his eyes at the use of the word “kid,” but there was no heat behind it. Then he shook his head. “Nope. Kind of defeats the purpose of the riddle if I explain it.” Next to him, Tony grumbled and flicked the card at his boyfriend. Peter laughed, and stared down at the familiar (terrible) handwriting in purple ink. “This sounds like an invitation, Tony. You should probably think about getting dressed and going out to meet your secret admirer.” He got a sigh in response, and he could see Tony starting to withdraw, just a little.

“Peter, you know I don’t really like to-”

Peter picked up the breakfast tray and set it aside, then shifted so he took its place in Tony’s lap. He took Tony’s face between his palms, rubbing the thumb of his left hand over the bumps and ridges of the long healed scars. “Tony. I know you don’t like the attention you get when you’re out. And that’s ok. Just trust me, ok?” After another few moments of hesitation, Tony nodded and Peter pressed their foreheads together. When Tony hesitated again just before leaving, Peter just kissed him and promised that it would be ok. 

**_Your FAVORITE Avenger will be waiting at his favorite place_ **

**_for walkies with lots of furry friends_ **

And when, a few hours later, he received a video from Clint of Tony smiling and laughing in a literal puppy pile of wriggling rescue puppies, he knew that he was right. The picture he got of Tony walking a giant mutt instantly became his phone background. Tony came home that day with another envelope, the card inside written in an elegant hand with red ink, and the same smile still on his face as he pressed a kiss full of joy to Peter’s lips.

**_Join the spider in her web_ **

**_And you will create beautiful things together_ **

On Sunday, Peter let Tony sleep later, knowing his activity with Nat wouldn’t start until later in the day. So they snuggled in bed until eleven, warm and cozy and kissing until they were both awake. Then Peter made them lunch while Tony showered, hot sandwiches and soup for a chilly February afternoon. At two, he sent Tony off to meet up with Natasha with a kiss on the cheek and a promise from the older man to have a good time. He still looked a little hesitant to go back out in public two days in a row, but Peter could tell that the fun he had had with Clint the day before made him less nervous.

And sure enough, later than evening, he got paint-covered selfies from a clearly wine drunk Tony and Nat. The redhead looked looser and happier than Peter had ever seen her, and the matching splashes of paint high up on the two Avengers cheeks made him giggle. When he got home, Tony was so excited to tell Peter all about how much he loved the painting glass, that the younger man didn’t care how late he went to bed, despite having class the next morning.

The painting was definitely getting a special place on the wall in their bedroom.

**_Big Green and the professor_ **

**_Request your company_ **

**_To make things go BOOM_ **

Monday meant Peter was back in classes all day at NYU, and he had to leave Tony with a sleepy kiss goodbye before his boyfriend’s eyes were even open. Because he knew if he let Tony wake up before leaving, he would never leave and would end up missing class and Tony would miss his adventures with Bruce. So he zipped out quick, passing Bruce on his way and shouting  _ Take care of him for me, Dr Banner! _ over his shoulder.

Unfortunately, there were no pictures throughout the day, but he had expected that. Tony and Bruce were spending their day together out at some remote property Tony owned upstate, no doubt creating spectacular explosions that would definitely not be safe in a populated area. And Peter also knew Bruce would become the Hulk at some point during their fun, because the big guy was just as fond of Tony as the rest of the team and wanted his own time with their resident genius. And the Hulk wasn’t really known for his talent with phones. But he did get to hear a detailed play by play from two very giggly, very exhausted scientists at the end of the day. And that was just as good.

**_Metal arm besties_ **

**_Courtside ruckus at MSG_ **

On Tuesday, Peter only had a half day of classes, so he was able to get back to the tower before Tony left for the Knicks game with Bucky. He had seen the excitement on his boyfriend’s face the night before when he read the card Bruce handed over, and the older man had practically vibrated out of his seat when he pulled out the courtside seats for the basketball game. Peter knew that NBA games weren’t usually their go to, knew that Tony and Bucky had gravitated more towards a quiet game in the billionaire’s private box at Yankee Stadium over the much louder atmosphere of Madison Square Garden in the years since Thanos, but Tony’s outings with the other Avengers seemed to be bringing more and more of the old Tony Stark back to life. It was almost like Tony was forgetting about the scars and the metal arm, even for a few hours a day.

The rest of the team watched the game on the huge screen on the common floor, and every time the camera panned to the two smiling, laughing,  _ rowdy _ Avengers sitting courtside, Peter’s heart swelled. On the couch next to him, Steve nudged him with his elbow, and they shared a smile. By the time the game ended, the two of them were passed out on the couch, and the others left them to doze until Bucky and Tony returned. And that’s how their boyfriends found them when they spilled out of the elevator, still arguing over some play. Bucky woke Steve with a kiss, and Tony easily picked up Peter to carry him up to bed.

**_Life may have gifted us the greatest works of art_ **

**_But we can still enjoy the inferior pieces_ **

**_On display_ **

Steve’s note had made both Tony and Peter snort, no one would ever accuse Captain America of  _ not _ being sappy. But the sappiness was worth the sweet kiss and the  _ He’s not wrong, you know _ that he got from Tony before the older man left to meet up with Steve on Wednesday. Peter went to class, and spent the day giggling at the ridiculous pictures he received from the two men. Some days he knew Tony regretted showing Steve how to use Snapchat, but today Peter was glad for it. Because the pictures and filters just got funnier as the day went by. At one point, he even had to sneak out of class before the tears of laughter could spill over.

When he got home from class that night, Tony had cooked dinner and while they ate, Peter listened as his boyfriend laughed through the story of him and Steve nearly getting kicked out of the Met. Truthfully, Peter only heard about half of the story, too distracted by the bright smile on Tony’s face through the teling. A smile that bright was so rare, and he had probably seen it more times this week than he had in the last year. Just watching him smile made all of the work and setup he had put into this worth it.

**_Let us spend this final day as the Gods intended_ **

**_Drunk!_ **

Thursday brought Peter another half day of classe, but Tony was already off with Thor by the time he got home. He wasn’t quite sure how many pubs and breweries the blonde would be dragging his boyfriend through, just knew to expect them at some point later in the day. The rest of his day was spent sparring with Clint, then at dinner with the rest of the team. He shared the pictures from Thor with the others, pictures that got progressively blurrier and more hilarious the more alcohol the two men consumed. Thor obviously had a higher tolerance than Tony, being an Asgardian, but they did seem to be keeping a steady pace with each other.

The two Avengers returned just as Peter and Nat were finishing the dinner dishes, laughing and stumbling and leaning on each other. Peter exchanged an eye roll with the redhead, who wasn’t even trying to hide her laughter. There were two drunk shouts of  _ Peter! _ before he was being squished between Tony and Thor, and even though he wanted to grumble, Peter couldn’t help the smile on his face as he said goodnight to Thor and tugged Tony off to tuck him into bed.

**_Join me for dinner_ **

**_Where all of the stars can see us_ **

Peter left the final note for Tony where his boyfriend would easily find it, then snuck out of bed to prepare. Everything that Tony had been doing that week was leading up to this, and he had been practicing the dinner recipe for weeks with Nat. She was the best cook in the tower, and she had helped him perfect it. He spent most of the day locked on the roof, setting up the space while he dodged Tony’s messages. Peter wanted everything to be absolutely perfect before Tony could see.

When it was finally time for Tony to join him, Peter stood beside the little table he had set up for their dinner. Fairy lights hung all around him, and the table was covered in a dark red tablecloth and two fancy table settings that he had borrowed from May. And when Tony finally came through the door leading out onto the roof, the look on his face was more than worth every minute of effort.

“Pete, this is.. wow this is unbelievable.”   
  
Smiling, Peter pulled out a chair for Tony, kissing him on the cheek as he sat. One by one, each of the Avengers came out to assist in their dinner date: Thor poured wine, Clint brought out bread, Steve and Bucky each brought a bowl of soup, Bruce cleared away the bowls when they were finished. And Nat served their entrees, winking at Peter before leaving again. Peter couldn’t even take a bite of his own meal before Tony tried it, needing to see the older man’s reaction. And he wasn’t disappointed.

“Jesus, what the hell is this, crack? I’ve never tasted something so good.”

Across from him, Peter blushed and shrugged. “I found it online. Nat helped me make sure it came out perfect.” Eyes wide, Tony set down his fork and leaned forward a little. “Peter, you.. you made this?” The younger man nodded, staring shyly down at his plate.

Tony pushed his chair away from the table, and came around to kneel at Peter’s side. He shook his head before Peter could comment on the wince, and took both of the younger man’s hands in his own, one flesh and one metal. “Peter. I don’t even have the word to describe what this week has meant to me. I know you set everything up, organized all these little outings with the team. How in the hell did I get so lucky to have someone that cares about me like you do?”

Peter shifted in his chair so he was facing Tony, and leaned down until he could press their foreheads together. “You deserve it. You deserve to know how much we all love you, how important you are. We  _ all _ care about you.” They shared a soft kiss, then Tony stood and tapped his knuckle under Peter’s chin.

“You’re something special, you know that, Parker?”

“Learned it from watching you, Stark.”


End file.
